Conservative?
I suppose some would wonder how I could be a supporter of President Obama, against the Tea Party shenanigans and call myself a conservative.
Let me explain a few basics.
When I call myself a conservative, I use the term relative to my stand in American political/economic/social policy. That stand is relative to the ways that the aforementioned policies affect the world in which I live, the nation as whole, and the earth in general. It's not all about me. Some would argue that I have it pretty good in this life and that's reason enough to support the status quo. Others might say that I should stop my whining and just work withing the existing system to better myself. Well, no. Man is a social animal. None of us can live on our own in this world. We survive as a group and if we are responsible human beings, we support and work towards individual and group behaviors that assure the survival of that group. Our nation's constitution begins We the people, in order to to for a more perfect union, not me, the rugged individual, in order to to reach greater self fulfillment. (To me, libertarians and the current mob of tea baggers are nothing more than weak sociopaths who will, if left unchecked, allow corporations to completely devour our nation, our rights, and our future as a free society.)
When I call myself a conservative, it is a description of how a person selects policies to support. In simple terms, a conservative defends existing institutions because their very existence creates a presumption that they have served some useful function or because eliminating them may lead to harmful, unintended consequences.
Ronald Reagan called himself a conservative. Ronald Reagan saw a tax code and labor laws that had helped create a thriving middle class. If you are a baby boomer, you grew up in a time that was unprecedented in America, with a vibrant middle class and an expectation in that middle class that their children would be at least as secure as their parents. During the Eisenhower administration the top tax rate was 91%! (more on that on a later post) Ronald Reagan, with willing approval of Republicans in large part and Democrats in small part, took that tax code and those labor laws to the scrap heap and took a liberal approach to a new tax & labor direction - ignoring the goodness that the existing institutions provided. Almost 40 years later, we now know the results of that change. The middle class is shrinking. People working at our nations number one employer can no longer afford to support a family on one income, most people can no longer afford to save for retirement, buy health insurance, or put money away for a rainy day. Who benefited from this change? In short, the upper 5% of our nation and huge corporations (who are seen as individuals in our current legal and economic world) . Their wealth and security skyrocketed to historical highs. And they are now using that wealth to gain more wealth, and more after that. There is no limit. There is no limit because they have, so far, successfully convinced the American people that limits are un-American. They cherish the "free market" and then work rig that market behind the scenes to assure that they and only they will prosper. Walmart believes in a free market for themselves, but not for their employees. Monsanto believes in a free market for their corporation, but not for farmers. Pfizer believes in a free market for themselves, but not for ill Americans. When the employees or the farmers or the sick try and limit the abuse set upon them by Walmart, Pfizer, Monsanto, and the rest, these corporations run to the Constitution and cry out against the government limiting our freedoms.
In sumation, from my conservative perspective, I have witnessed the existence of a strong, vibrant, and growing middle class, the liberal removal of those institutions that helped create and nurture that middle class, and the resulting deterioration of that middle class.
The question then becomes, is an America with a strong middle class a better nation than one without?
This conservative says "yes" and this conservative is working to return to the principles, values, and institutions that that we know will work to being it back.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Saturday, September 5, 2009
USA, USA, USA!
Have you noticed how so many nations and people in the world want to be just like "Americans"? You can see a news clip of a kid in Somalia and he's wearing a NY Yankees T-shirt. You can visit Paris and see a McDonald's. In China, Coke is served at restaurants. Almost anywhere you go on this globe, you can see other people tying to be like Americans. Americans rule! We're number one. We kicked ass in WWII and we put a man on the moon! Any nation in their right mind wants to be like us, right?
Now answer me this: Why is no other nation, people, culture, or foreign concern of any type trying to copy our method of delivering health care?
Now answer me this: Why is no other nation, people, culture, or foreign concern of any type trying to copy our method of delivering health care?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
My take on the medical care debate.
In a video being shown on You Tube, Stephen Hemsley, CEO of United Health Group is quoting as saying, “The mission at United Health Group is to help people live healthier lives.” In a word, this is bullshit. The mission at United Health Group is to buy risk at a price that they calculate will be lower than then risk calculated by person who is selling it. What do I mean by that? Let me put it this way. We, as consumers, pay insurance companies to assume our risk. We give them, say, $10,000 each year in our assumption that someday, our medical costs will be well in excess of the 10K we’ve been giving to our insurance company – and if we have to collect, we’ll be ahead, financially. Of course, it’s not quite that simple, but the principle remains. Insurance companies make a living by buying risk at a price that ultimately returns a profit. If any of us thought that we had more than enough money to pay for any medical care – or that the price of the insurance was far more than we would normally expect to have to pay over the course of our lives, we would no more buy medical insurance than we would buy plumbing insurance or lost sock insurance.
The real mission at United Health Group is to buy risk, and make a profit on that purchase. The real mission at United Health Group is to take in more capital in the way of premiums than it pays out in terms of benefits. Anything else is a bold face lie. Mother Theresa’s mission was to help people live healthier lives. The mission of our local food pantry is to help people live healthier lives. My mission with my sons is to help them live healthier lives. Our mission in all these examples is lacking the fundamental ingredient that separates our mission from that of United Health Group and that ingredient is profit.
Insurance companies and gambling companies both employ statisticians who calculate risk and the companies use that knowledge to run their business with a profit. Insurance companies call these people actuaries. Actuaries carefully calculate the probable medical costs of an individual for a specific term, and then insurance company offers to assume the cost of that for a price that is larger. The difference between the policy price and the payout is profit for the insurance company. Sometimes the insurance company loses, just as sometimes people leave Las Vegas with more money than they came with. But we all know that the money of losers built the new hotels in Vegas, just as the money of losers paid the $3.2 million dollar salary of Stephen Hemsley.
United Health Group and all other medical insurance corporations in America have one mission and that is to turn a profit for their investors. Don’t think for a minute that Mr. Hemsley conducts his quarterly reviews with his department heads and asks them, “How many people have you helped live healthier lives this quarter?” Do not assume that the way up the corporate ladder at United Health Group is to be the employee who has helped the largest number of people live healthier lives. United Health Group is no different than any other corporation as it rewards employees who rake in the biggest pile of cash.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not against insurance, profit, corporations, CEOs or Las Vegas. I just do not think that gambling and profits should play that prominent role in a nation’s medical care.
Medical care is not like most things that we buy, and buying insurance to cover those possible costs it not the same as buying insurance to cover a replaceable house or car. Our children are not replaceable, nor are our own lives, but yet we are somehow asked to deal with these as one would insure a 2003 Toyota Corolla.
We do not shop for a good value in setting broken bones, or clip coupons for half off an MRI treatment. Medical care is more like the police officer that we call in the middle of the night when our car is stolen – or the fire department that responds to our 911 call when our home is on fire. Can you imagine having our police or fire services operate on the principle that they need to return a profit to their investors? “We’re sorry; the co-pay to assist you in finding your lost daughter is now $150. Please pay the cashier” Can you imagine a world where one calls for the fire department and is told “Sorry, your application states that you live in a two story home and not a split level. Your policy is therefore void and we cannot serve you.”
But in fact, these things happen in the medical care sector of our nation every day. Men like Stephen Hemsley make decisions as to who will get medical service and who will not – and what drives that decision is not “Will this help someone lead a healthy life”. No, what drives that decision is, “Will this adversely affect our quarterly profits. Will this be seen as bad news to the Wall Street investors?”
Those opposed to any meaningful reform or government system try to scare me with the idea that some bureaucrat in the government will be standing between me and my doctor. I'll tell you this, I'll take that bureaucrat over men like Stephen Hemsley - men who place corporate profits ahead of my well being, and then lie about it in public.
There must be an awful amount of money at stake here because men like Stephen Hemsley are spending more than a million dollars a day, every day, to protect their position and maintain a medical care model that is based on the profit motive. Now that we know that this money is not being spent to “help people lead healthier lives”, why aren’t more of us upset?
The real mission at United Health Group is to buy risk, and make a profit on that purchase. The real mission at United Health Group is to take in more capital in the way of premiums than it pays out in terms of benefits. Anything else is a bold face lie. Mother Theresa’s mission was to help people live healthier lives. The mission of our local food pantry is to help people live healthier lives. My mission with my sons is to help them live healthier lives. Our mission in all these examples is lacking the fundamental ingredient that separates our mission from that of United Health Group and that ingredient is profit.
Insurance companies and gambling companies both employ statisticians who calculate risk and the companies use that knowledge to run their business with a profit. Insurance companies call these people actuaries. Actuaries carefully calculate the probable medical costs of an individual for a specific term, and then insurance company offers to assume the cost of that for a price that is larger. The difference between the policy price and the payout is profit for the insurance company. Sometimes the insurance company loses, just as sometimes people leave Las Vegas with more money than they came with. But we all know that the money of losers built the new hotels in Vegas, just as the money of losers paid the $3.2 million dollar salary of Stephen Hemsley.
United Health Group and all other medical insurance corporations in America have one mission and that is to turn a profit for their investors. Don’t think for a minute that Mr. Hemsley conducts his quarterly reviews with his department heads and asks them, “How many people have you helped live healthier lives this quarter?” Do not assume that the way up the corporate ladder at United Health Group is to be the employee who has helped the largest number of people live healthier lives. United Health Group is no different than any other corporation as it rewards employees who rake in the biggest pile of cash.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not against insurance, profit, corporations, CEOs or Las Vegas. I just do not think that gambling and profits should play that prominent role in a nation’s medical care.
Medical care is not like most things that we buy, and buying insurance to cover those possible costs it not the same as buying insurance to cover a replaceable house or car. Our children are not replaceable, nor are our own lives, but yet we are somehow asked to deal with these as one would insure a 2003 Toyota Corolla.
We do not shop for a good value in setting broken bones, or clip coupons for half off an MRI treatment. Medical care is more like the police officer that we call in the middle of the night when our car is stolen – or the fire department that responds to our 911 call when our home is on fire. Can you imagine having our police or fire services operate on the principle that they need to return a profit to their investors? “We’re sorry; the co-pay to assist you in finding your lost daughter is now $150. Please pay the cashier” Can you imagine a world where one calls for the fire department and is told “Sorry, your application states that you live in a two story home and not a split level. Your policy is therefore void and we cannot serve you.”
But in fact, these things happen in the medical care sector of our nation every day. Men like Stephen Hemsley make decisions as to who will get medical service and who will not – and what drives that decision is not “Will this help someone lead a healthy life”. No, what drives that decision is, “Will this adversely affect our quarterly profits. Will this be seen as bad news to the Wall Street investors?”
Those opposed to any meaningful reform or government system try to scare me with the idea that some bureaucrat in the government will be standing between me and my doctor. I'll tell you this, I'll take that bureaucrat over men like Stephen Hemsley - men who place corporate profits ahead of my well being, and then lie about it in public.
There must be an awful amount of money at stake here because men like Stephen Hemsley are spending more than a million dollars a day, every day, to protect their position and maintain a medical care model that is based on the profit motive. Now that we know that this money is not being spent to “help people lead healthier lives”, why aren’t more of us upset?
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Omega Man
The food and pharmaceutical industries have us in a vicious circle in which they both benefit financially from our misery. We buy foods that make us ill and then we buy pharmaceuticals to make us feel better.
Odds are that you know at least one person who is currently taking medication for depression, or a child who is taking medication for ADD. Odds are that these are conditions that you did not hear too much about only a few years ago. Add to that a growing number of people with diabetes, obesity, and a host of other problems, and if you’re like me, you start to ask if diet is playing a significant role in all of this.
Our food supply has changed drastically over the past 50-100 years, and we are seeing the results in increased illness, both mental and physical.
Our bodies, our minds operate well with a balance of Omega 6 / Omega 3 ratio of 1/1 to 5/1, depending on the study one reads. Our current diet is closer to 20/1. This significant change has happened over the past 50-100 years.
The benefits of omega-3s include reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke while helping to reduce symptoms of hypertension, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
But even as important is their ability to reduce the negative impact of yet another essential type of fatty acid known as omega-6s. They support skin health and lower cholesterol. But when omega-6s aren't balanced with sufficient amounts of omega-3s, we have problems.
The most significant change with regard to the Omega ratio has been our growing use of corn based foods replacing leafy vegetable based foods in our diet. Corn is rich in Omega 6. Leafy vegetables, grasses, are rich in Omega 3. Cattle fed on the open range had an Omega Ratio of 3:1. Cattle fed a diet of corn have a ratio of 20:1. There are similar findings with pork and poultry. In addition, corn is the most commonly found ingredient in your local supermarket is: Corn. Corn syrup as fructose is everywhere. It’s in our cereals, breads, soups, sauces, cakes, cookies, and just about everywhere else. In a natural world, corn is not a staple food source but we have created an unnatural reliance on corn as a staple in our diet and the diet of the livestock that we consume.
What can we do about it? The first step is to increase our levels of Omega 3. Seafood is rich in Omega 3 but it’s also rich in mercury (thanks to our coal burning – world wide). So eat fish, but only in moderation. Other sources of Omega 3’s are walnuts, soybeans, and winter squash. The second step is to shop carefully at the market to lower our Omega 6. Avoid processed foods as much as possible to keep your fructose intake low. Ask your butcher if he has grain feed beef, pork, or poultry. Tell your local grocery store that you are looking for foods rich in Omega 3’s. In other words, use your words and your wallet to drive the market.
Do this and we will all eat better and live better!
Odds are that you know at least one person who is currently taking medication for depression, or a child who is taking medication for ADD. Odds are that these are conditions that you did not hear too much about only a few years ago. Add to that a growing number of people with diabetes, obesity, and a host of other problems, and if you’re like me, you start to ask if diet is playing a significant role in all of this.
Our food supply has changed drastically over the past 50-100 years, and we are seeing the results in increased illness, both mental and physical.
Our bodies, our minds operate well with a balance of Omega 6 / Omega 3 ratio of 1/1 to 5/1, depending on the study one reads. Our current diet is closer to 20/1. This significant change has happened over the past 50-100 years.
The benefits of omega-3s include reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke while helping to reduce symptoms of hypertension, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
But even as important is their ability to reduce the negative impact of yet another essential type of fatty acid known as omega-6s. They support skin health and lower cholesterol. But when omega-6s aren't balanced with sufficient amounts of omega-3s, we have problems.
The most significant change with regard to the Omega ratio has been our growing use of corn based foods replacing leafy vegetable based foods in our diet. Corn is rich in Omega 6. Leafy vegetables, grasses, are rich in Omega 3. Cattle fed on the open range had an Omega Ratio of 3:1. Cattle fed a diet of corn have a ratio of 20:1. There are similar findings with pork and poultry. In addition, corn is the most commonly found ingredient in your local supermarket is: Corn. Corn syrup as fructose is everywhere. It’s in our cereals, breads, soups, sauces, cakes, cookies, and just about everywhere else. In a natural world, corn is not a staple food source but we have created an unnatural reliance on corn as a staple in our diet and the diet of the livestock that we consume.
What can we do about it? The first step is to increase our levels of Omega 3. Seafood is rich in Omega 3 but it’s also rich in mercury (thanks to our coal burning – world wide). So eat fish, but only in moderation. Other sources of Omega 3’s are walnuts, soybeans, and winter squash. The second step is to shop carefully at the market to lower our Omega 6. Avoid processed foods as much as possible to keep your fructose intake low. Ask your butcher if he has grain feed beef, pork, or poultry. Tell your local grocery store that you are looking for foods rich in Omega 3’s. In other words, use your words and your wallet to drive the market.
Do this and we will all eat better and live better!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Food
Lots of posts about cycling, no chef....
I love to cook. I'm no good with a wrench or a hammer - but give me a good chef's knife and a gas stove and I'm in my element. Today I made a pile of pulled pork, potato salad, black bean & corn salsa, BBQ chicken, and more sorts of food that will be good "later". Trying to feed a family with two active boys and get in my cycling is a challenge. I usually make the sorts of things that will keep in the refrigerator - some actually are better "later". And I do have a lot of things to consider for a varied menu. For one, my older boy can't eat seafood (allergy) and poultry does not agree with him. My wife tries to abstain from red meat. My younger boy does not like potatoes that much, and me? I try to go vegetarian 3-4 times a week, but for health reasons, my wife needs to avoid to much soy protein. And I'm the only one in the house that likes beans. My older boy and I have asthma, so I try to keep the magnesium rich foods in the mix. And, because I had problems with depression in the past, I need to an eye on Omega-3 & Omega-6 fatty acids - and find foods rich in that! Finally, I try to maintain good weight and cholesterol levels for my wife and me, while at the same time, provide calorie rich foods for two boys who need to gain weight!
Confused? You bet. It can get interesting.
Basically I just follow a few guidelines. Fresh is best, vary the menu, moderation is key, and listen you your body signals. And when I cook, I cook in groups - as I did today. It really does not take that much time to cook several things at once if you just keep moving. Cook one meal for today while cooking another for tomorrow.
Here's a few of my standards: There is always a tray of baked pasta in the refrigerator or freezer. If all else fails, it's pasta. Carrots, potatoes, rice, apples, bananas, peanut butter (the good stuff, no trans fats), milk, oatmeal, and orange juice are always in stock.
I serve family style. In fact, since the boys have been old enough to reach for a fork, we've served family style. Take what you want, don't take what you don't want. Eating should be a pleasant and enjoyable experience - not a time for lectures.
Think "seasonal". Strawberries in January are not local if they are fresh and given what we are learning about the standards of some countries, stay local! We eat a lot of cabbage, winter squash, potatoes and carrots over the winter. It was good for my ancestors, and it's okay for me. Sure, it takes some know how to make cabbage interesting, but it can be done.
Use meat as a more as a flavor or ingredient, and not as half the meal. You'll get all the pleasure of the flavor & save money and have better health to boot!
Well, that's for starters....more later!
I love to cook. I'm no good with a wrench or a hammer - but give me a good chef's knife and a gas stove and I'm in my element. Today I made a pile of pulled pork, potato salad, black bean & corn salsa, BBQ chicken, and more sorts of food that will be good "later". Trying to feed a family with two active boys and get in my cycling is a challenge. I usually make the sorts of things that will keep in the refrigerator - some actually are better "later". And I do have a lot of things to consider for a varied menu. For one, my older boy can't eat seafood (allergy) and poultry does not agree with him. My wife tries to abstain from red meat. My younger boy does not like potatoes that much, and me? I try to go vegetarian 3-4 times a week, but for health reasons, my wife needs to avoid to much soy protein. And I'm the only one in the house that likes beans. My older boy and I have asthma, so I try to keep the magnesium rich foods in the mix. And, because I had problems with depression in the past, I need to an eye on Omega-3 & Omega-6 fatty acids - and find foods rich in that! Finally, I try to maintain good weight and cholesterol levels for my wife and me, while at the same time, provide calorie rich foods for two boys who need to gain weight!
Confused? You bet. It can get interesting.
Basically I just follow a few guidelines. Fresh is best, vary the menu, moderation is key, and listen you your body signals. And when I cook, I cook in groups - as I did today. It really does not take that much time to cook several things at once if you just keep moving. Cook one meal for today while cooking another for tomorrow.
Here's a few of my standards: There is always a tray of baked pasta in the refrigerator or freezer. If all else fails, it's pasta. Carrots, potatoes, rice, apples, bananas, peanut butter (the good stuff, no trans fats), milk, oatmeal, and orange juice are always in stock.
I serve family style. In fact, since the boys have been old enough to reach for a fork, we've served family style. Take what you want, don't take what you don't want. Eating should be a pleasant and enjoyable experience - not a time for lectures.
Think "seasonal". Strawberries in January are not local if they are fresh and given what we are learning about the standards of some countries, stay local! We eat a lot of cabbage, winter squash, potatoes and carrots over the winter. It was good for my ancestors, and it's okay for me. Sure, it takes some know how to make cabbage interesting, but it can be done.
Use meat as a more as a flavor or ingredient, and not as half the meal. You'll get all the pleasure of the flavor & save money and have better health to boot!
Well, that's for starters....more later!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
